Elevate Life 2017 Christmas Production

Submitted by Elevate Life Church | Mar 17, 2017

Elevate Life Church is a large church in the Dallas area that draws in crowds of thousands for their weekly services and tens of thousands for the special events throughout the year. This years annual Christmas Production had 8 shows that were held over 7 days. Each year the show's production gets bigger and bigger, with sets and technology that most are only used to in a concert setting...this year was no exception.

This years set incorporated a large thrust type stage in the shape of a V (reminiscent of Adele's current world tour stage) that included a runway that led to the B-stage. This design choice was very intentional to give everyone in the 3000 person audience to be encapsulated by the stage rather than being closed off by the traditional theatre proscenium. A large truss frame was build around the top, sides and bottom of the stage with a complete LED surround that brought a small aspect of a proscenium without any of the disadvantages. Because of the lack of a proscenium, a runway from the mainstage that led to the B-stage was incorporated to allow for set changes to happen on the main stage while the audiences attention was taken away.

With the recent purchase of a 15 motor Cyberhoist system from Cyberhoist North America and XLNT from the The Netherlands, the production was able to bring a new level of dynamic to the stage that wasn't previously possible. These highly accurate and programmable motors allowed for breathtaking movements of 3 V shaped truss structures, an aerialist and 2 - 8' x 10' chandeliers.
A majority of the lighting was placed on the three V shaped truss that were on Cyberhoist motors. This gave the lighting another dimension that wasn't previously possible. In addition to the standard movement of the fixture, each of the trusses could be brought down, pitched, or rolled to create different looks in a matter of seconds.

Video played a very large role in the production throughout. The LED frame was the perfect accent to the other key video elements in the production. A large 55' x 16' projection was incorporated to provide a backdrop to many of the different acts and was flown in on the in-house automated battens to allow for maximum flexibility within the production. Additionally, a massive 80' x 24' sharkstooth scrim was deployed using a motorized curtain track along the front of the stage. This system allowed for very fast and reliable operation of the curtain track that in turn created an incredibly submersive experience when used. All of this was mapped and routed using a new Watchout Media Server system that was recently purchased. This timeline based system allowed for the entire show to be laid out and run through from top to bottom.
Between video, lighting, and tracks from the stage, all of this was synchronized together using timecode that was generated from Ableton, triggered by the MD in the band.